Simple and Clean
by Cold Silence
Summary: Riku's feelings are too deep for his friends to understand. Riku x Sora x Kairi
1. The Kiss

**Title**: Simple and Clean

**Author**: Cold Silence

**E-Mail**: Cold

**Pairings**: Riku + Sora + Kairi

**Warnings**: This story is slightly AU. I wrote it on a whim one day.

**Simple and Clean**

I wasn't the first guy to get stranded on Destiny Island. Lots of kids before me have woken up on the beach, confused and wondering what in the world was going on.

You get pretty bored here, you know. That's why we're always playing games. King of the Hill, Last One Out, Tag, you name it, and we've probably done it a thousand and one times and changed it around a billion and one ways. We have way too much time on our hands. Sometimes we get a little competitive, and whoever wins the most games pretty much gets to be the Island Champion of the day. My record for being the Champ is two months in a row, which pretty much makes me the head honcho around here. Everyone tries to beat me, but they can't. I rule all.

There was this one guy though who broke my winning streak. I remember when we found Sora washed up on the beach. Man, he had on some goofy red pants. Just like the rest of us, he couldn't remember anything, but you would think that was the least of his problems the way he carries on around here.

Sora was the best thing that happened to Destiny Island. Everytime there was a game, he would play, and he would put everything he got into winning. I was starting to get bored of winning all the time, but then there would be Sora, always challenging me and almost beating me each time. I wanted to see him do it. I wanted him to beat me so that I could learn to be stronger too.

And he was such a blockhead too. It was so easy to goad Sora into doing anything that you wanted. "Hey Sora, want to jump over the 50ft cliff into the water?" "Gee I don't know Riku, it looks high..." "What, are you chicken?" "No way! I'm jumping first!" Hook, line, and sinker every time. I couldn't spend ten seconds with Sora without laughing my butt off.

You had to really watch out for him though. I guess after being Champion for so long, I got used to seeing myself as their real leader, so I felt responsible for anything that happened to them. Sora was the worst. He was voted Most Likely to Drown 10 times, Most Likely To Crack His Head Open on a Rock 15, and Most Likely To Fall Off the Balcony, Bounce Off the Coconut Tree and Land in the Well 30 times. He really hated us saying it too, but you had to admit, it was true. He was a walking disaster.

It was because he was such a kid. I mean, we are all kids, but Sora is the Kid of All Kids. Whenever someone cracked a joke that was a little on the off-color side, it would go way over his head. And don't even get me started on how he is with girls. The guy was always totally clueless. But those are things you come to like about him. You never have to worry about what Sora is thinking, because you can just look in his face and know.

I talk about him a lot, don't I? It's because he can grow on anybody like a fungus. Sometimes, we have our moments where we wonder, what if one of us were to disappear off the island, the same way we all got here? Then I picture Sora being the first to go, because he's the loudest, and I realize that I would miss him too much. He's like my little brother --

* * *

"Riiiiiku, are you done writing yet."

"No."

Sora made an exasperated sound before flopping dramatically into the sand. Night had fallen on Destiny Island, and there was an unusual show of fireflies dancing in the calm wind. Laughter could be heard in the distance, as the other children chased the fluttering insects with nets.

"Everyone's started catching fireflies already."

"Then go join them."

"Aaaaw I can beat all of them." There was no denying the bravado in Sora's voice. As he lied on his back, he gazed up at the pinpoints of starlight that decorated the sky. With the makeshift butterfly net that he had in his hands, he whipped it through the air, pretending that he could catch the celestial bodies in the net. "What are you writing in that stupid book anyway?"

"I am writing about all the times I beat you." A hint of a smile curled a corner of Riku's lips. Thoughout Sora's bellyaching, he had not bothered to look up from where he was scribbling on the blank pages. He didn't feel like telling his friend that he simply felt like writing instead of playing any games that night.

"You haven't won that many times!" Sora twisted himself around from the ground and made a grap for the book. Riku nimbly lifted it out of his reach, his expression mocking in its complacency. "Let me see that!"

"You want this book?" Keeping a finger tucked into the right page, he used the book to guesture towards a palm tree in the distance. It was situated on another inlet, surrounding by water on one end and beach in the other. "My record for running to that tree, getting a paopu fruit and getting back to this dock is 4 minutes, 32 seconds. Think you can beat that?"

Immediately, Sora was on his feet. Sand fell from his red pants in copious amounts, which caused Riku to cover his cerulean eyes before any of the grains fell in them. "You bet I can beat that!"

"Oh yah? Then lets see you do it. I'll keep count here while you run. Ready?" Sora got into a crouching position. "SET-GO."

The butterfly net that Sora was holding clattered noisily on the sandy dock as he dropped it. He took a flying leap off the wood, landed on the sandy bank, and continued to run like a bat out of hell.

Riku cupped a hand over his mouth to yell at the retreating figure. "YOU'LL HAVE TO RUN FASTER THAN THAT SAND BUTT."

* * *

I don't know who started the stupid paopu fruit story. I can't even remember who gave this island its name. But I guess a Destiny Island has got to have its Destiny fruit huh? So cheesy.

I've been trying to get Sora to give Kairi a paopu fruit forever. It is so obvious that he likes her, but he's too thick-headed to realize it. She was the last one who washed up on this island. She is the sweetest, most pretty girl around here, and she follows Sora around like glue.

I really like Kairi too, but nothing makes her smile the way Sora does. I can't blame her, because I can see how much they're both so much the same, even though Kairi isn't as dumb. She's just like Sora in that, she can't seem to lie. She is what she is. I like everybody here, but sometimes we get so wrapped up in our games and our lonliness and our constant wondering as to why we are here that we don't really act like ourselves. I know I have that problem. I guess sometimes I come off as cocky and standoffish because of it, but Sora and Kairi always see right through me.

If I ever leave this island, I don't want to go without either of them. They are so.. they are just.. simple and clean you know. Just being with them makes you better. I don't know how to explain it. Sometimes, I wonder if we're all here because nobody wanted us. How can we be stuck out here for so long without anybody finding us? Where are our parents? Where are our families? Doesn't anyone care? Then I think, even if there is anybody out there, I don't care about them either for letting this happen to me. We've been living here just fine all on our own. We play everyday and nothing ever gets too complicated.

But then I see Sora always looking out into the ocean, and how he sometimes talks to Kairi about not remembering anything. He's always wondering about what's out there. It's like this island is not big enough for him (or his pants), and Kairi feels the same way. It's because of them that I'm finally starting to feel the same way. Like I need to get out of here. But not without them. Sometimes I feel that if I'm not with them, I'll become someone worse, because no one will see through me and remind me that.. there are people who are thinking of me.

Even if it means Sora will spend less time with me while he's with Kairi, even if it means that I might get a little lonely in the process, I want them to be together. I want them both to grow up a little bit, so I can tell them my feelings instead of writing them.

* * *

Sora returned to the deck huffing and puffing, and collapsed to his knees with the star-shaped paopu fruit in his hands. Through his choked gasps, he managed to sputter a sentence. "Did.. did I.. win...!"

Riku, wearing a look that was almost bored, closed the journal he was writing in. "4 minutes, 32 seconds."

The other boy's mouth dropped to the ground. A draw? It was a draw! He very nearly face faulted sideways into the ground, but he stopped himself at a slant since wooden docks are not good impact absorbers. "That's not fair."

"Lots of things in life aren't fair, Sora." The journal was placed aside, and he stood up to walk to the kneeling Sora. Crouching beside him, he took the paopu fruit from his slack hands and held it up. "Did you give one to Kairi yet?"

"Tidus says the paopu fruit tastes nasty. I'm not giving something to Kairi that tastes bad." As usual, he either seemed to masterfully avoid the topic that Riku was trying to broach, or completely miss the point due to his innocent ignorance. Riku was still hard pressed to guess which one it was.

"Hm." Riku gave the yellow fruit a look, before taking a bite out of one of its pointed edges. He chewed the flesh, and made thoughtful faces as he exaggerated the mastication process before swallowing it. "It tastes great to me."

"Then you give it to her, you're the one always talking about it." Annoyance crept into his features. "Are you going to catch fireflies or what? Are you done writing yet?"

"You're only going to lose."

"Will not!"

"Will too."

"Will not--"

"Sora, what's that on your face?"

"What? What is it?" Frantically, he began to pat his face down. The island was known for the occassional spider or insect that tended to crawl in unwanted places.

"Oh my god, it just went into your mouth!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAA GET IT OUT! Pffft pffft!"

"Hold still! I think I can get it out." Sora obediently held his mouth open, tongue lolling over his lower lip. His brows were scrunched up in an expression of discomfort.

"Huwway aap! Gheeh eeeh ouu!"

"I can't get it out if you keep talking." Riku's exotically shaped eyes took on a slant of mischief as he came closer. "I see it. Look at it crawling all over your tonsils. That's really nasty."

"Gheee eeh ouu!"

"Sssh. This calls for a delicate operation." At Sora's terrified look, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Hold still. This won't hurt. Much."

"Eeehchuu..." A sense of foreboding fell over Sora as Riku began to get close. Too close. When his face was a few inches away, Sora withdrew his tongue to speak normally. "Riku, what are you -- "

As soon as Sora began to get reluctant, Riku took another small, quick bite of the paopu fruit and lurched fowards. His free hand caught the back of Sora's head, and he muffled his surprised squawk with the sideways press of his lips over his.

Sora jerked once at the surprise contact, his blue eyes wide and incredulous. He felt Riku's tongue shove the tidbit of paopu fruit towards the back of his throat, and reflexively gagged and pushed his hands against Riku's shoulders. Relentless, Riku pressed his tongue deeper until Sora swallowed the fruit, which occured very noisily.

The unchewed paopu burned on its way down, and Sora could only concentrate on the heavy sensation of it traveling down his esophagus instead of Riku's lingering kiss. Relief came when it finally got to his stomach, and Riku could feel the shiver that came with it on his lips.

Their mouths made the soft sound of wet skin detaching itself as he pulled away, his eyes lidded with an emotion that was lost on Sora. The other boy grimaced with one hand placed over his chest, his moist lips curled with unhappiness. "What did you do that for?"

For a few moments, Riku merely gave Sora a hard look. The other's large eyes were watering over as he fought the instinct to cough. "Now we're destined to stay together."

"_Cough_, what?" Confusion clouded over his face. He was used to Riku's roughhousing, but this was very different than his usual attacks. He was trying to figure out what kind of game this was, or if Riku was actually mad at him.

"Nothing." He answered quietly as he stood up from his crouch. Riku retrieved the journal from its place on the ground and tucked it away into his belt. "I think we gave them a good enough head start. Lets go catch some butterflies."

Sora only stared at the other boy.

"C'mon. Don't be chicken. I think after I'm done beating you, I _will_ give Kairi that paopu fruit."

The look on Sora's face upon hearing the tail end of that comment was priceless. Riku began to walk off, leaving Sora helpless with the alien feelings that seemed to steal into him like a poisoned mist. Slowly, he stood up, and as an afterthought he picked up his butterfly catcher. With the pole balanced in his hands, he stared at it, as if really noticing it for the first time. Then he began to walk in the direction Riku had left, his pace increasing to a light jog once he left the dock.


	2. The Sickness

**Title**: Simple and Clean

**Author**: Cold Silence

**E-Mail**: Cold

**Pairings**: Riku + Sora + Kairi

**Warnings**: Slightly AU. I added a chapter on yet another whim.

**Simple and Clean**

Children's laughter and soft, golden light shimmered from Destiny Island. The firefly catching game was quite literally in full swing. Glass jars already filled with the flashing bugs were tucked between big rocks to protect them from the occasional klutz.

Sora arrived in time to see Riku bring down his net on Kairi, and exclaim with a smile that he had just "caught a bright one." Her giggles fell like tinkling glass among the other voices in the area. Immediately, he rushed in their direction and captured Riku's head in his own net while he was distracted.

"Awww man, I caught I really dim one," he lamented with a mock look of sadness. Riku took the dis in stride, despite the way Kairi found it hilariously funny.

After removing the net from his head using the wooden end of his own, Riku smirked at the other boy. "You finally ready to lose?"

"I'm not going to lose!"

Already familiar with the boyish rivalry between Riku and Sora, Kairi merely smiled before leaning towards the annoyed boy. "I'll help you beat Riku! I even waited for you to come." She heroically brandished her own firefly net, which was distinguished from theirs by the white ribbon tied on its end.

"You guys are welcome to try." There seemed to be a secret hint of satisfaction in Riku's expression. Sora took it for the smug look of inevitable victory, so he grabbed Kairi's hand and began to tug her away so they could get started.

"You just wait! C'mon Kairi."

As the two of them walked away, Riku's smirk melted into something more serene. Finally, it seemed he was getting somewhere with those two. However, they were never going to beat him at ANY game, therefore he threw himself into the foray with all the gusto of youth.

He also noted that Sora was not letting him have a moment alone with Kairi. He wasn't really planning to give her a paopu fruit, but sometimes he found himself considering it and imagining what the outcome would be like. The happiness of it was almost always overlaid by the strain it would put on Sora. Even now, he could see the obviousness of his friend's feelings as he watched him bump into Kairi by accident, and laugh with her at their bad coordination.

Wickedly, whenever he saw that Sora's attention span was drifting away from the girl, he would be sure to produce the half eaten paopu from his pocket and bite significantly into it where he could be seen. Every time, Sora renewed his efforts to stay close to Kairi, which provided no end of amusement to him.

At the end of the night, they gauged who had won through the brightness of the jars rather than the actual number of fireflies in it. As usual, Riku's glowed the best, though Sora's and Kairi's combined lights were very nearly on an even par with his. It was called to be another draw, which didn't seem to outrage Sora for once. Instead, he seemed more interested in trying to catch an opportune time to talk to Riku privately, but he wouldn't let him.

When the game was done, all of the jars were brought to the docks, and Selphie and Kairi released the fireflies. They flew out over the water, where their lights were reflected back into the sky. As they watched them flutter away, Kairi tilted her head towards Sora. "Where do you think they go?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. He was watching Riku leave the docks, perhaps to turn in for the night. "Maybe they go to bed."

She laughed, and lightly touched Sora's shoulder. "Fireflies don't have beds!"

He found himself blushing in response to that, and he palmed the back of his head self-consciously. "Ye-heah, I guess they don't, ha ha..."

* * *

Sora woke up the next morning feeling very strange, as if he had slept with ten blankets piled on his body. Although he felt lethargic and flushed with heat, he rolled out of bed and climbed out of his tree house. He usually slept with his clothes on, since it took too much time to take them off or put them back on whenever he wanted to go anywhere.

It was a hot day, perfect for playing in the water. He found everyone already there, splashing among the waves. He quickly kicked off his shoes, leaving them with the other long line of abandoned sneakers and boots by the shore, and rushed into the water to join them.

The cool temperature of the ocean made him feel much better, so he enthusiastically leapt into it like an eager puppy. The other children were calling him further out, so he rushed in their direction with a smile on his face.

Riku was lifting Kairi on his shoulders, and then falling backwards with her into the water. Wakka was doing the same with Selphie, but Tidus refused to lift up Sora, stating that to he was just too heavy.

"You want a lift? Here's a LIFT." Riku took Sora by surprise by wrapping a strong arm around his collar, the other beneath his leg, and pulling him out of the water only to powerbomb him back in. It started a chain reaction in which everybody was getting dunked left and right.

"TIDAAAAL WAAAAAAVE." Tidus suddenly pointed towards the open water, where a sizable crest was heading in their direction.

"Assume position, ya!" At Wakka's call, everyone lined up for the wave, positioning themselves side by side so that they could catch it at the right moment. Sora, on the other hand, was still coughing and sputtering from the previous onslaught. That weird feeling was coming back, and it was starting to make him feel nauseated.

When the wave came, everyone sans Sora kicked off against the sandy bottom of the ocean floor and body surfed all the way to the shore. Kairi became mired in the sand next to Riku, and they both laughed uncontrollably at the way Sora totally wiped out. The wave had crashed over him and sent the boy somersaulting in the current, before depositing him at the bank in a wet heap. He didn't make it as far as everyone else, and the ebb of water was tugging him back into the ocean.

"Better luck next time Sora!" Riku called out to the other boy, grinning from ear to ear. However, instead of the receiving the expected retort, Sora seemed too busy to answer in his struggle to lift himself off the sand. His slow movements were not quick enough to avoid the second smaller wave that crashed over him. Riku became concerned, so he got himself off the ground and jogged to where the foam was swallowing him whole.

Kairi followed close behind, as well as the other crowed of children. Sora was yanked out of the water by the back of his shirt, and he dangled meekly from Riku's grip like a wet cat.

"Did he hit his head on a rock?" That was Tidus, who feared that one of their predictions of Things Likely To Happen had occurred to the boy.

Kairi started patting his head for bumps, and she gasped when she felt heated skin beneath her fingertips. "He's really hot!"

Riku was the first one to put two and two together. "Everyone back away, he's sick!"

Tidus let out an almost girly scream as he jumped back, the movement joined by everyone else except Kairi and Riku. "Sick! Oh my god he's sick!" There was a pause. "What is a _sick_?"

"It's like having cooties, ya." Wakka seemed to know the best way to explain it, so Riku didn't volunteer any information. Instead, he worked on carrying Sora better by curling his free arm under his legs and scooping him against his chest.

Kairi looked very concerned, she intuitively knew that being "sick" was a bigger problem than they thought by Riku's face. "What do we do to take away his sick?"

Riku was silent for a few moments as he tried to reach for memories that had faded with time. He needed to know how to deal with this, something that has never happened to any of them before. Fortunately, he did partially recall an experience with something like this before, and he voiced this to the others. "He needs medicine. Do we have any?"

Everyone looked at Wakka, who tried not to flush beneath all the attention. Unwilling to lose face, he boasted that he did have medicine, even though he didn't completely understand what it was. "Of course ol' Wakka has got medicine! I got everything in my shop, ya."

"Good. Bring it to Sora's house. Somebody else bring something cool." Without another word, Riku began to rush in the direction of Sora's tree house. The boy in his arms barely had his eyes open, and through his blurred vision he caught flashes of Kairi's worried face and the strong line of Riku's jaw.

* * *

Nighttime fell, with no change in his condition. They had laid him down on the floor with a pillow of leaves beneath his head. Kairi was in charge of bringing fresh water, which was applied to his head with an old rag. When he began to shiver, Riku had somebody fetch the blanket from his house and bring it there.

Everyone had crowded into the room, the air becoming more somber when they witnessed that being sick was like being hurt; the feeling wasn't pleasant. Wakka had yet to produce the medicine he had promised hours ago, which was making Riku a little impatient.

"Is he going to be ok?" Ventured Kairi in a whisper. She was sitting to the right of Sora's shoulder, where she could easily dip the cloth back into the bowl of water to keep it wet before re-applying it back to Sora's forehead.

"He'll be fine," came an almost defiant answer from Riku. He was to Sora's left, also sitting with his arms folded.

"You know a lot, Riku." Kairi was inadvertently impressed at how he knew what to do so quickly.

Riku shifted his gaze to Sora's face, which was drawn up in an expression of discomfort, so similar to the one he made after he kissed him with the paopu. He felt personally responsible for this; that perhaps somehow, by doing that to Sora he brought about his illness. In a solemn voice, he answered Kairi, "I know too much."

Sora cringed and shifted in his fevered state, causing the cloth on his head to slip down the side of his face. Simultaneously, Kairi and Riku reached for it, causing their fingers to brush together. They both froze with indecision as to who should let who put the cloth back on its place. It was Riku who withdrew his hand first, leaving Kairi to fix things herself. Something silent seemed to pass between them, despite their averted eyes.

Wakka chose that moment to burst through the door with a bundle in his hands. "I had to fight ten bears for this, ya, but I finally got the medicine."

"Alright!" Tidus happily crowed from his place on the windowsill. He was getting bored of everyone just sitting around, so he was grateful for some entertainment. "Now what do we do?"

The tall redhead looked lost for a moment, before thrusting his bundle at Selphie. "Selphie knows what to do, ya?"

Indeed, Selphie did not know what to do, but that wasn't going to stop her from finally getting the spotlight shown on her. She snatched the bag from Wakka and imperiously motioned for everyone to move away. "Everyone get back, this delicate operation needs room."

There was universal obedience, except for Riku who stubbornly refused to budge from his spot. That was ok though, because Riku always did what he wanted anyway. Selphie knelt on the ground and opened the parchment, which was filled with smelly leaves, colorful flowers and spilled pollen. Everyone stared with curiosity as she began to shred the leaves and the petals, and then mixed everything together in her palms. She hesitated as she tried to think of something else cool to do, and then idea struck her. Picking up a handful of the paraphernalia, she walked around Sora once, while dribbling everything on the floor. Eventually, he was completely outlined in flowers, pollen and fresh leaves.

"Now," said Selphie as she wiped her hands together. "We have to say special words so he'll get better."

"Why?" Asked Tidus, wearing a blank look on his face.

"Because!" Selphie stamped her foot on the ground. "The medicine won't work unless we say something to it to make it work!"

"Oh." Tidus still looked blank.

"Now everyone say what I say." Selphie stretched her hands over Sora, and began to chant in her best witch doctor voice. "Sora, may your cootie sickness go away."

"Sora, may your cootie sickness go away," echoed the others in the room. Tidus was purposely using a voice that was laden with boredom.

"Your head is strong like a coconut, no cooties can get in!"

"Your head is strong like a coconut," Tidus was now drawing circles around one of his ears to indicate Selphie's insanity. From her place, Kairi had placed her hands together in supplication for him. There was no concept of a god or religion on Destiny Island, but there was a firm belief in magic, which was called on now to help their friend get better.

"You are the center of the sun Sora, nothing can touch you there."

"You are the center of the sun, Sora." Riku murmured along with the other voices.

"Nothing can touch you there."

* * *

His fever broke towards the sunrise, and Sora was surprised to wake up and find himself covered in leaves and his friends all sleeping in his house. He thought maybe there was a sleepover that he missed. Kairi was overjoyed to see him all right, and she nearly tackled him with her happy hug. Riku was immensely relieved, but he was less enthusiastic with showing it. Instead, he smiled at Sora's open eyes and told him, "Welcome back."

Sora insisted that he was fine, but Riku made him stay in his house an entire day before he was allowed out again. To reinforce this, he gave everyone permission to beat him up if he was caught outside. As a result, Sora spent a day at home, brooding petulantly over Riku's meanness.

He didn't get a chance to have that private talk with his friend until the second day. It was difficult to find him alone, because everyone wanted to tell Sora about how they made him better, and wanted to know what was it like to have the cootie sickness. When he finally managed to hide from them all, he set out to find Riku.

The older boy was sitting beneath the paopu tree, his eyes trained on the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, and it stained the ocean a brilliant russet. Sora crept next to Riku, and dropped onto the sand next to him. "Hey."

"Feeling better?" Riku asked, though he kept looking towards the open water. He had his hands behind his head to protect him from the rough bark of the paopu tree.

Because it was the billionth time someone had asked him that, Sora answered with just a touch of annoyance. "I'm fine. I'm not going to get sick again."

Riku tilted his head so that he could see Sora. The other boy was looking sulkily at the ground. "What's it like being sick?"

Again, another question that he had heard over and over again. "I felt really gross." After a few moments, he ventured a tidbit of information that he had left out for everyone else. "And I kept having dreams."

"What kind of dreams?"

Sora looked at Riku's light eyes, and he suddenly felt a rising sense of foreboding in his chest. "Weird dreams."

"You mean like with monsters?" He grinned before turning to face the horizon once more.

The other boy stared at the outline of Riku's face, and remembered how it looked on a sunnier day, with his back facing him as he looked out into the ocean. As he watched a Tsunami of a wave get bigger and bigger, and just let it come... "Just.. weird dreams."

There was no answer to that. Riku could sense that Sora didn't really want to talk about it, so he didn't push it.

After a stretch of silence, Sora finally ventured what he had wanted to say to him several days ago. "Riku, don't give Kairi the paopu the way you did me."

That made one of his eyebrows lift. He brought his hands out from behind his head, and placed them on his knees. "And why not?"

"Because you'll hurt her!" Sora's brows drew together with consternation. He didn't want Kairi to go through something so.. uncomfortable. "I won't let you be mean to Kairi."

Riku stared at Sora, before suddenly breaking into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

His laughter subsiding, he placed a gloved hand on Sora's shoulder. "I promise I won't give Kairi the paopu that way. But that doesn't mean that YOU can't."

"Ew!" Sora grimaced with disgust. "No way! I'm not being gross like you. What did you do that for anyway?"

"I wanted to see your face." Riku smirked as he moved his hand upwards so that he could rub the top of Sora's head. The other boy called out in annoyance, before scooting away from his reach.

Any further horseplay was interrupted by Kairi, who was calling out that it was time for dinner. Sora was famished, so he immediately stood up to go.

"We're still destined to stay together."

"Huh?" Sora turned halfway to look back at Riku. He hadn't moved from his spot, and by then he wasn't even looking at Sora anymore.

"Soooooooora! Riiiiiiiku! Hurry up, Tidus is eating everything!"

Sora's attention was once more grabbed by Kairi, and he rushed in her direction in order to get to his food before nothing was left.

Riku wasn't feeling especially hungry; besides, Kairi would save him a plate anyway. Right now, he simply wanted to look out into the ocean. The more time passed the more he thought that he needed to be out there. It was true that he knew too many things, and that set him apart from everyone else. As he watched Sora and Kairi get closer, he further felt out of the loop on Destiny Island. This paradise was shrinking for him, and even if there wasn't a family for him out there, maybe there was an adventure.

Maybe there was other people that he could meet. Maybe there was someone who could understand the feelings going on inside of him. He had never felt the true, blunt weight of responsibility until Sora got sick. He feared that he would not be able to save him from the next calamity, whether that be sickness or not, but at the same time he wanted to be free of the burden of watching over everybody. He wanted to see other things, but couldn't let go of the people his life was most intertwined with. He wanted to be _out there_, and it would be perfect if he could take Sora and Kairi with him, but he knew instinctively that being away from Destiny Island would change them forever. Was it worth that?

A clunking sound drew his attention, and he looked over the ledge of the small inlet to see what it was. The noise was caused by a glass bottle that was bobbing against the coral. He thought he spotted something in it, so he leaned over and plucked it out of the water. It was not unusual for stray things to float to the island, and in fact, they got many of their provisions that way.

He thumbed the cork out of the bottle, and spilled its contents into his palm. It was a paper, and when he turned it around he could make out writing in the fading light.

_Please save me._

He pressed his lips together. It was most likely one of Kairi's. It was easy to tell by the way she talked about it that she really wanted to find her real home. Riku fished in his belt until he located the old pen that he found floating on the water one day. After straightening the paper out, he scribbled in two words.

_Me too._

Then, the paper was folded up and stuffed back into the bottle, which was re-corked. He drew his arm back, and swung it in a powerful arc; releasing the glass at its apex. It landed at a distance so far, the "plunk" of it falling into the water was barely audible.


End file.
